Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

Deep within the demon realm lies a secret realm, perpetually shrouded in mist and impenetrable by powerful restrictions that even the most powerful demons in their transformation phase cannot penetrate. Legend has it that a hundred thousand years ago, a mysterious continent somehow drifted down here, forming a secret realm thousands of miles in radius. The continent descended amidst a blazing fire, resembling a giant sun, hence the name "Sunset." Upon landing, the continent formed a massive barrier of flames, reducing any living creature to ash. Even powerful demons in their transformation phase dared not approach too close.

Finally, a senior demon cultivator, having reached the divine level, ventured into the realm and explored, retrieving a wealth of precious materials. This wealth ensured a constant supply of the demon tribe, with a constant supply of level 10 demon beasts, giving them the leverage to challenge the human race. In particular, the secret realm yielded a treasure called Emperor's Flowing Juice, the key ingredient in refining the Spirit-Awakening Pill, an essential elixir for prematurely awakening the spiritual intelligence of lower-level demon beasts. This invaluable treasure was evident in the divine level. Consequently, the divine level master deployed a massive barrier of flames to prevent harm to innocent creatures. Not only did he harvest all the mature medicinal materials, he also exterminated all the ancient beasts above level 2 in the secret realm, leaving only the seedlings and level 1 ancient beasts to flourish. The secret realm, rich in spiritual energy, was a natural medicinal garden, poised to yield another crop of mature medicinal materials in centuries to come.

Later, the demon clan discovered that every three hundred years, the flame barrier would become slightly unstable. Six level-seven demon beasts working together could briefly open a door, allowing level-one demon beasts to enter. However, demon beasts above level one were repelled and unable to enter, including even transformed, powerful demon beasts. This trait forced the demon clan to send only level-one demon beasts to enter and collect herbs. This entry period lasted one month, after which the flame barrier would become unstable again, requiring a joint effort to break the barrier and allow everyone out. Failure to exit on time would result in the death of any alien creatures trapped in the secret realm. In the past, a demon cultivator failed to escape in time, and those who reentered three hundred years later found only a skeleton.

In the secret realm, there are mountains, rivers, various medicinal herbs, and some ancient beasts. The cultivation of the ancient beasts is at the first or second level. They have no intelligence and act on instinct. These ancient beasts are not rejected by the secret realm and can survive in it for a long time, but they grow slowly and their strength is difficult to increase for ten thousand years.

Over time, the precious materials within were completely purchased, leaving no treasures coveted by senior Divine Transformation masters or transformed great demons. However, it still yielded many precious materials, extinct in the outside world and suitable for lower-level cultivators, such as the Emperor's Flowing Juice. Gradually, the seven clans developed it into a secret realm for the trials of first-level demon beasts. Every three hundred years, each clan would send twenty first-level demon beasts into the realm to compete for the Emperor's Flowing Juice and mature medicinal materials. The amount of precious materials obtained determined the distribution of resources and benefits among the clans for the next three hundred years.

This year, the secret realm opens. Missing out means another three hundred years of waiting. Therefore, the seven clans are feverishly selecting their own first-level demon beast masters. Once selected, they will be granted the Spirit-Awakening Pill, preemptively awakening their spiritual intelligence. The benefits of awakening spiritual intelligence are self-evident. With a sharpened mind, one's ability to comprehend inherited techniques becomes much more efficient, and their cultivation speed accelerates significantly. Furthermore, they become more agile in social interactions, possessing more means to survive, making them far more powerful than those fools who rely solely on brute force and instinct.

Trials in secret realms present both opportunity and danger. Once inside, you'll be randomly transported to different locations by restrictions. You might land right in front of a Level 2 Ancient Beast and be devoured, or you might land right in front of a mortal enemy, forcing a life-or-death struggle. Therefore, truly talented disciples rarely enter these realms. Protected by the influence of their elders, they have all the resources they need, so there's no need to risk them. Of course, some demon cultivators, self-proclaimed formidable, enter to hunt their peers for fun.

Furthermore, to increase the enthusiasm of first-level demonic beasts to participate in the battle, high-level demonic cultivators would capture nearly a hundred human Qi-training cultivators as blood slaves each time a secret realm opened, sending them into the realm as targets for the demonic beasts to hunt. Human cultivators' bodies were a vital tonic for demonic cultivators, and they were bound to scramble to feed on them, satisfying their appetites and boosting their cultivation. However, since human Qi-training cultivators were numerous, only a hundred could be captured at a time, and this capture period only lasted three hundred years. Therefore, this practice attracted little attention from high-level human cultivators. Humans also frequently captured demonic beasts as pets or to kill them for their elixirs, a common practice. Consequently, the high-ranking officials of both sides tacitly accepted this practice and refrained from interfering. However, cultivators captured as blood slaves were unlucky. Entering the secret realm, they faced a predatory prey, a near certainty of death. If they managed to evade capture and did not emerge after a month, they would perish within the forbidden area. If they escaped the secret realm with demonic cultivators, they would be devoured by high-level demonic cultivators outside the restricted area. The demonic race would never allow the secrets of this place to be revealed to humans. So over the past tens of thousands of years, the secret realm has been opened countless times, and there have been tens of thousands of blood slaves, but no blood slave has ever escaped.

Entering the secret realm offers rich rewards, including a wealth of mature natural treasures and delicious blood slaves. Many monsters that have been stuck at the peak of level one for years, without any support, often choose to participate, taking risks and seeking opportunities for breakthroughs.

The greatest danger within the secret realm is infighting. Whether it's to scramble for treasure or devour one another for advancement, schemes and plots abound, with sneak attacks and conspiracies abounding. Each time the secret realm opens, over 140 trial monsters enter, but less than a third return. This high loss rate is a real headache for each clan, so the most core members of the clan often avoid entering to die.

Four months have passed since Liu Xing was captured. He is still concentrating on practicing secret techniques in the cage and has no idea that he will soon be thrown into the secret realm and become a blood slave.

With only a month left until the secret realm opens, all tribes are preparing to embark on their journey to the Sunset Secret Realm's entrance. The twenty finalists from each tribe who will enter the secret realm were chosen three months ago. After taking the Spirit-Awakening Pill, they have been in seclusion to stabilize their realm. They have discovered that their awakening of spiritual wisdom has allowed them to reorganize and comprehend their previous abilities, making them twice as powerful. They have also gained a more nuanced grasp of their powerful bodies, significantly increasing both their defensive and offensive capabilities. While their three months of seclusion haven't yielded any significant improvements in their mana levels, their combat prowess has doubled compared to before their awakening, a truly astonishing achievement for the contestants, who feel the journey was well worth it.

Time flew by. The contestants from each tribe ceased their retreat and, led by their own Level 7 seniors, headed towards the Sunset Secret Realm. The Level 7 Monster Beast leader, in addition to his own contestants, also brought captured blood slaves, placing them in their pet bags.